October 28, 2009: The Long Await Is Finally Here

Finally, the 6 month, 13 day wait is over. Finally, October 28th, 2009 has arrived. Finally, we get to see the rebuilt Toronto Raptors tip their 2009-2010 season off against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Finally, we get to see Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, Marco Belinelli, and Antoine Wright make their Toronto Raptor debuts. Finally, Toronto Raptor basketball is back.

Finally.

I can't begin to describe how excited I am for tonight's game. I woke up this morning thinking to myself Toronto Raptor basketball will be here for the next 6+ months. Amazing.

I can't wait to see the player introductions. I can't wait to hear the excitement of the crowd just prior to tip off. I can't wait to see DeMar DeRozan dunk for the first time. I can't wait to see how many pounds Chris Bosh actually gained this off-season. Hell, I can't wait to see LeBron James do his pre-game ritual when he throws the rosin in the air.

And to be perfectly honest, I like the fact that we (yes, we) open the season against the Cavs. Yes, it's a long 82 game season, but it's all about first impressions--will the Raptors be able to contend with the elite teams in the East? Well, tonight we'll get our first glimpse.

A few thoughts:

How will Toronto be able to contend with The King? He dropped 38 on the well defensive Boston Celtics team. How many will he drop on the Raptors tonight? Whose going to step up?

Anthony Parker & Jamario Moon return to the ACC tonight. What's the crowd's reception going to be like? Boos? Cheers? I predict cheers for both players, but it will definitely be interesting to see what happens.

Remember when Shaquille O'Neal called Chris Bosh the "RuPaul of big men" last year? Although Chris says it's water under the bridge, we all know it's not. Bosh wants revenge. He'll get a chance at it tonight.

I'm assuming newcomer DeMar DeRozan will be guarding LeBron James tonight. In other words, a rookie will be defending last year's MVP. How's this going to work? Antoine Wright is finally healthy, and has proven to be a good defender in the NBA. Don't be surprised if Antoine, although coming off the bench, sees the floor more tonight than DeMar.

When it's all said and done, I believe the Cavs will come out victorious. But I also predicted that the Cavs would win last night against Boston, so who am I to predict?

But frankly, it's not a big deal if we lose tonight--there's 82 game in a season! I'm just glad the NBA season is now in full swing, and Raptor basketball has returned.

Get ready, folks. Let the games begin.